Seagrove, NC is abuzz with activity as potters get ready for the 17th Annual Celebration of Seagrove Potters Show and Studio Tour, coming up November 23, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and November 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The Friday night Gala returns, November 22, 2 – 8 p.m.

Twenty-eight Seagrove pottery shops will set up booths in a newly renovated event space at the Luck Comer Lail Center (Historic Luck’s Cannery) at 798 N.C. 705 in Seagrove. A ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of the new event space will be held November 22, 2 p.m. In addition to the pottery show, 29 pottery shops are participating in a self-guided driving studio tour.

Gala tickets are $65 and include a catered reception, entertainment, the opportunity to shop early and bid in the live auction of special collaboration pieces. Tickets must be purchased in advance at www.discoverseagrove.com prior to the event.

General admission tickets for the indoor market are $8 and can be purchased at the door. The studio tour is free. Visitors can pick up a program at the Historic Luck’s Cannery that will include a layout of market participants and a studio tour map. Admission is not required to pick up a map for the studio tour.

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters also features a silent auction of special pieces created by the area potters to raise money to help promote Seagrove potters throughout the year.

This year, the Seagrove Area Potters Association is donating 25% of the live and silent auctions proceeds to CERF+ (Craft Emergency Relief Fund). Proceeds will be designated to go directly to provide emergency relief for craft artists in Western North Carolina.

In addition to potters’ booths, visitors can enjoy wheel throwing demonstrations, food trucks and a festive atmosphere. Demonstrations are scheduled throughout the event. The Smokehouse Bistro and Simply Coffee food trucks will be at the cannery.

Volunteers are needed. There are several ways to volunteer. Those interested in volunteering can register on the www.discoverseagrove.com website.

The Celebration of Seagrove Potters is one of the biggest events of the year, and is the only time that pottery enthusiasts can visit several Seagrove potters in the same location.

The pottery tradition in Seagrove spans more than 200 years. Today there are more than 50 pottery shops keeping that tradition alive. Forty-six of those shops are participating in the Celebration of Seagrove Potters.

Pottery shops participating in the indoor market at the Historic Luck’s Cannery are Ben Owen Pottery, Blue Hen Pottery, Cat Viera Pottery, Chad Brown Pottery, Crystal King Pottery, David Stuempfle Pottery, Dirtworks Pottery, Eck McCanless Pottery, Fiva McCanless Pottery, From the Ground Up, Hatfield Pottery, Hickory Hill Pottery, Jared Zehmer Pottery, JLK Jewelry, Keith Martindale Pottery, Kluba Ceramics, Kovack Pottery, Luck’s Ware, Matthew Kelly Pottery, Nicholas Havner Pottery, Pottery by Frank Neef, Pottery Road Studio, Ray Pottery, Red Hare Pottery, Seagrove Stoneware, The Triangle Studio, Triple C Pottery and Windsong Pottery.

Pottery shops participating in the studio tour are Ben Owen Pottery, BlueStone Pottery, Bulldog Pottery, Chris Luther Pottery, Dean and Martin Pottery, Dirtworks Pottery, Donna Craven Pottery, Donna’s Pottery Haven, From the Ground Up, Hickory Hill Pottery, Johnston and Gentithes Art Pottery, Jugtown Pottery, Keith Martindale Pottery, Matthew Kelly Pottery, McNeill’s Pottery, Old Gap Pottery, O’Quinn Pottery, Pottery Road Studio, Potts Pottery, Ray Pottery, Seagrove Art Pottery, Seagrove Stoneware Pottery, Studio Touya, Teague’s Frogtown Pottery, The Triangle Studio, Thomas Pottery, Triple C Pottery, Turn and Burn Pottery and Wyndham and Brooke Haven Pottery.

More information can be found at www.discoverseagrove.com.

Photo: Celebration of Seagrove Potters visitors browse selections in the Triple C Pottery booth.